Named in honor of Irina Konstantinovna Arkhipova (1925– ), an outstanding representative of the Russian vocal school. For more than 30 years she was a soloist at the Bol’shoj Theatre and sang in many well-known opera houses around the world. In 1995 there will be a celebration of her career. A professor at the Moscow Conservatoire, she educated a constellation of outstanding singers. Arkhipova is an eminent public figure who established a special charitable fund. Since 1967 she has been chief judge of the M. I. Glinka {see planet  (2205)} competition, and on several occasions she chaired the international jury for the P. I. Chajkovskij (Tchaikovsky) {see planet  (2266)} vocal competition. (M 24916) _ _.